Collide
by Catalina H
Summary: She was the one girl who could resist his charm. She was the one that made it worth his while.
1. Who's That Girl?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it's rights, or it's characters. That's all JKR. I'm just a fan writing a story. No money is made off of this, and no copyright infringement intended!**

**I got the title of this story from the song "Collide" by Howie Day, which was a partial inspiration for the story.  
**

**Summary: She was the one girl who could resist his charm. She was the one that made it worth his while.**

**A/N: OK, so after seeing all these other Sirius/OC stories, I had to do my own. I know this has probably been done hundreds of time, but I wanted to do my own take. This is basically my first Marauder Era story.**** You won't see Peter much in this because, well honestly, I just don't like him. :) I hope you like it!**

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Chapter 1 – Who's That Girl?

"This year's going to be awesome," James exclaimed happily as they were eating breakfast.

"How so?" Peter asked curiously.

James smiled. "Because Wormtail…We're seventh years. It's our last year at Hogwarts. And since I'm Head Boy, with all that time we have to work together, I think this year might be the year Evans finally says yes to that date," he said, glancing dreamily at the redhead a little ways down the table when he mentioned the last part.

Sirius chuckled. "Keep dreaming Prongs," he drawled teasingly.

James rolled his eyes as he turned to his best mate. "Yeah? I don't see you with anyone yet. We've been back for over a week and you haven't even asked a girl out yet," he retorted.

Sirius rolled his eyes, about to retort when Remus teased, "That's because he's already dated almost every girl in our year, not to mention quite a few that aren't in our year."

James laughed at that, while Peter chuckled, and Sirius scowled at Remus.

"If you must know Moony," Sirius started slowly. "I've actually just been weighing my options."

"You're options?" Remus repeated skeptically, eyeing his friend closely. "So, what options are you weighing exactly Padfoot?" he asked, in a tone that suggested he was patiently talking to a young misguided child.

James smirked as he watched Sirius contemplate his answer. Peter was looking back and forth between them as if it was a tennis match.

"I was actually thinking about asking her out," Sirius replied smoothly, nodding down the table.

The others glanced down to where Sirius had nodded and noticed Lily and a couple of the other seventh year Gryffindor girls.

"Well, you're obviously not talking about Evans," James stated. "Or at least you better not be," he added, with a slight threat hanging in the air.

Sirius chuckled. "Don't worry Prongs, I'm not after your bird."

James grinned. "Good."

"Didn't you date Erica last year?" Peter asked, motioning to the blonde talking to Lily.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fifth year Wormy," he corrected.

Peter nodded. "Oh right."

Remus, though, was looking at the other girl, then turned back to Sirius. "Which one _are_ you talking about?" he asked carefully.

Sirius smiled. "Her," he answered simply, motioning to the girl with dark brown hair, sitting across from Lily and the blonde, that Remus had been looking at.

Remus's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Sirius incredulously. "Hailey?" he questioned in surprise.

"That's her name?" Sirius asked, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

"You don't even know her name," James chuckled.

Sirius rolled his eyes, but Remus shook his head.

"Her name is Hailey Anderson," Remus told his friend. "But I think you should probably try asking someone else."

James and Sirius both looked at Remus curiously. "Do _you_ like her Moony?" Sirius asked. "Because, if so, then I'll happily back off and let you go for it," he added sincerely.

Remus rolled his eyes. "No, I don't like her. Not like that anyway. She's just a friend," he informed them.

"Then why should I ask someone else instead?" Sirius pushed, back to his bright self.

"Because she's not someone who's going to be easily impressed by you like most of the girls in this school," Remus answered simply. Sirius cocked his head sideways and looked at his friend questioningly. "Hailey's not going to fall for that famous Black charm of yours."

Sirius smirked. "I believe that's a challenge mate," he commented.

James chuckled, and Remus just rolled his eyes.

– X –

"Think you could put in a good word for me Moony?" Sirius asked his friend as they made their way to Charms.

Remus rolled his eyes. "No."

James and Peter looked at each other and smirked, barely containing their chuckles. Sirius had been trying to pry information on Hailey out of Remus since breakfast, but so far Remus had answered everything with 'No'.

"Oh come on Moony," Sirius pouted. "Why not?"

"Because I value my life Padfoot," Remus retorted as they took their seats in the classroom.

"Just give it up Padfoot, Moony's not gonna help you out on this one," James told his friend, trying, unsuccessfully, to keep the amusement out of his voice. "Trust me. I've been trying to get his help with Lily for years."

Sirius rolled his eyes, but then noticed said girls walking into the classroom and smirked. "Well, maybe luck's just on my side today," he shrugged and got up and started walking over to their table.

Remus and James caught each other's eye and shook their heads.

"Hello ladies," Sirius greeted brightly as he pulled up a chair.

"Did Potter send you over here?" Lily asked in annoyance.

"No," Sirius answered honestly, but with a look of mock offense.

Lily looked taken aback for a second. "Oh. So…Why _are_ you here?" she questioned suspiciously.

Sirius smirked and looked at Hailey, who was reading a Muggle book. Lily noticed and looked uncomfortable.

"Um, I forgot, I need to go ask Professor Flitwick a question about our essay," she muttered, then got up and walked off.

Sirius watched her, and then turned back to Hailey. But before he could open his mouth, she said, "So, now we're alone. What do you want?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows, she hadn't even looked up from her book. "I just wanted to talk," he told her lightly.

She raised her head and half-glared at him with her light brown eyes showing her impatience. "Bull," she stated simply.

He smirked. "OK, fair enough," he agreed, raising his hands slightly in a peaceful gesture. "I was actually wondering if you wanted to do something with me this weekend."

Hailey raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Like what?" she replied, feigning interest.

Sirius shrugged, smirking slightly as he leaned in so their heads were closer together, and answered smoothly, "Whatever you want."

She smirked as she too leaned in a little closer and replied in a slightly curt tone, "I think I'll pass." And she sat back up and went back to her book.

"Why not?" Sirius pressed, though not as brightly as he'd started.

He noticed her roll her eyes as she sat her book down and looked him in the eyes.

"What is this? Now that you've finally gotten through practically every girl in this school, now you decide you're gonna ask me out? Well guess what…I'm not interested," she told him bluntly. Sirius raised his eyebrows at her, but had to grin at her feistiness. "Now, get lost."

"Or what?" he teased. Hailey scowled at him, and he smirked. "Come on, say yes and I'll go back over to my table," he said politely.

"No," she stated lightly. "Now go back to your table," she added firmly, with an air of authority about her tone.

"Come on Anderson, say yes," he pushed.

She rolled her eyes, and glared at him. "No."

"You know you want to," Sirius said pointedly, with a grin.

Hailey took a deep breath. "Don't ask again, and go back to your table," she told him calmly.

"Ju-"

"Silencio!" she muttered, pointing her wand at him before he even had the time to register what she was doing.

Sirius tried to say something, but without success. Hailey smirked victoriously, and waved at him.

"Buh-bye now," she said cheerfully, waving him back to his table.

Sirius gave her a grin of praise, but took the hint and went back to join his friends, who were laughing quietly at this.

Sirius sent Remus a pleading look.

Remus smirked and said smugly, "I told you so." But then took out his wand and undid the silencing charm.

"Thank you," Sirius muttered after regaining the ability to speak.

James couldn't stop chuckling though. "Looks like there _is_ someone out there who can resist your charm Padfoot," he teased.

Sirius rolled his eyes, but glanced back over to the girls' table, where he saw Lily and Hailey talking.

Remus shook his head slightly at his friend and told him, "I tried to warn you."

Sirius looked at him and smirked. "Oh, I haven't given up yet," he stated.

Remus sighed tiredly, shaking his head.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I already have the second chapter written, but I'm not going to post it until tomorrow. I figured I should spread out posting them a little. But as long as I don't get busy or distracted by other stories, I should be able to post new chapters fairly quickly. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	2. Still No

**A/N: OK, I forgot to mention that there will be a little James/Lily in here too. Not much, but I couldn't leave it out. :) Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed! Here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

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Chapter 2 – Still No

Two months into the school year and Sirius still had no luck in getting into Hailey's good graces. Several of his attempts had ended in her jinxing him, or hitting him with a book. Remus tried to tell his friend that he should just let it go because Hailey wasn't impressed, only annoyed. However, the more she rejected him, the more Sirius liked her, and the more he saw it as a challenge to get her to go out with him. He had to give her credit though, she was definitely an intriguing individual, the fact that she always said what was on her mind and wasn't afraid to curse him only made Sirius want to spend more time with her.

On the other hand, James was actually managing to go a while without asking Lily out, and in return Lily had stopped being so annoyed with him all the time. It seemed that their time working together as Head Boy and Girl was actually paying off for James by showing Lily how much he had actually grown up and deflated his head.

Though one day, Slughorn decided to split up the usual pairs in class. James and Lily ended up together, Remus and Erica, and Sirius and Hailey.

"Looks like it's you and me, Anderson," Sirius said happily as he joined Hailey at the table.

"Lucky me," she muttered sarcastically, faking cheerfulness.

Sirius chuckled. "Come on, what better way to get to know each other then slaving over a difficult potion."

Hailey sighed as she scowled at him. "When are you going to learn that that charm of yours doesn't work on me?" she asked bluntly.

He shrugged, grinning, but then questioned, "So, what _does_ work on you then?"

She smirked, and leaned in closer to him, looking him in the eyes. "You'll never know," she teased quietly.

Sirius stared at her in awe as she stood back up, chuckling slightly, and went to grab the ingredients they needed out of the store cupboard.

When she got back he said cockily, "Come on Anderson, you know you wanna go out with me too."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Let's just get one thing clear Black," she started, in a slightly intimidating tone. "We're just working together, and if you use this time to try to get me to go out with you, you will find one of these potions in your pumpkin juice and be spending the next three weeks in the Hospital Wing. Are we clear?"

Sirius smirked, but nodded. "Crystal."

Hailey smiled. "Good."

But as they got back to work, Sirius asked, "Can I ask you one question though?"

"You just did," she retorted.

"OK, two questions then?" he amended, not deterred in the least.

Hailey sighed exasperatedly, but calmly said, "Fine, ask."

"Why don't you like me?" he asked curiously, dropping the cocky attitude for a minute.

She looked up at him contemplatively for a second before turning back to the potion. "I never said I didn't like you," she started slowly. "I'm just not interested in going out with you."

Sirius looked at her oddly. "Why not?"

"That's more than two questions," she pointed out, keeping her patience though. Sirius gave her a puppy dog face. Hailey rolled her eyes. "Look, I just don't date guys like you," she told him.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Guys like me?" he repeated lightly.

"Yes, guys like you," Hailey replied tiredly.

"You don't even know me," Sirius pointed out, only a slight arrogant air to his tone.

Hailey took a breath, and looked at him disbelievingly. "Oh really?" she countered in the same manner.

Sirius smirked, shaking his head, his old self once again. "No." Hailey raised her eyebrows slightly in skepticism, but turned her attention back to the potion. "But you can get to know me if –"

"The answer's still no, Black," she interrupted before he got the chance to finish.

"That's what you say now," Sirius commented pointedly.

Hailey gave a slight chuckle and looked at him. "And I'll keep saying it until you finally start believing it," she stated easily, but the relentlessness was still an undertone.

Sirius grinned. "We'll see," he replied nonchalantly. "You won't be able to resist my charm forever," he said haughtily.

Hailey smirked. "Wanna bet?"

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**A/N: Hope you liked that chapter! I'm going to put the next one up tomorrow. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	3. Let's Be Friends

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3 – Let's Be Friends

True to her word, Hailey had continued saying no. However, Sirius was trying less and less, opting to instead use their time together in Potions to get to know her a little better. And what he was finding out about her only made him like her more, and caused him to want her to say yes more than before. What had started out as a game to him after the first time she rejected him was now becoming a sincere desire to be around her more. Not that he would actually admit this to his friends though, they might think he was going soft.

One night after dinner on the way back to Gryffindor tower, Sirius noticed Hailey walking alone. Since he too was alone, Remus in the library, James at Quidditch practice, and Peter who knows where, Sirius decided this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to her without interruption, and without the distraction of a simmering potion.

"Hey Anderson!" he called.

Hailey turned around to see Sirius jogging up to her.

"What are you doing here Black?" she sighed.

Sirius smirked. "What, no hello?" he asked in mock hurt.

Hailey rolled her eyes. "Hello Black," she said politely. Sirius grinned in victory. "Now what are you doing here?" Hailey repeated in a slightly annoyed tone, half-scowling at him.

Sirius chuckled, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. "Hey, I'm just on my way back to the common room," he answered in an innocent tone. "I just figured I'd say hello to a familiar face," he added. "But if you don't wanna talk to me, that's fine…" He started walking away.

"OK, fine. I'm sorry," she called after him half-heartedly.

He turned around and grinned at her. "I'm sorry? What was that, I couldn't hear you?" he asked, feigning ignorance, holding a hand behind his ear in a gesture to hear better.

Hailey playfully forced a smile as she nodded her head. "Uh-huh…" she muttered disbelievingly. But as Sirius continued acting like he couldn't hear her she rolled her eyes and, fighting a grin, exhaled tiredly, "I'm sorry. You're more than welcome to stop and talk to me."

Sirius grinned at the triumph, and Hailey just rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. They started walking back to the Gryffindor common room together in silence.

Then Hailey commented, "You're a piece of work, you know that?"

Sirius smirked at her. "It's part of my appeal," he shrugged arrogantly.

"You're full of yourself," she stated.

"I prefer to think of it as confidence," he contradicted.

Hailey shrugged. "Call it whatever you want," she started, looking him in the eye. "It still makes you sound like a prick."

Sirius got in front of her and stopped walking. "Is that why you won't go out with me?" he questioned curiously, searching her light brown eyes.

"You don't give up do you?" she countered, sounding a little exasperated.

He grinned smugly, and shook his head. "No."

After a minute of staring at each other Hailey finally gave a slight chuckle as she started to grin. "That's one of your qualities that I _do_ like," she mumbled, and walked around him, continuing up the stairs.

Sirius stood there smiling for a second before running to catch up and fall into step with her.

As if she was guessing what he was thinking, Hailey said simply, "The answer's still no, Black."

Sirius shrugged, having expected that. "OK."

Hailey glanced at him with raised eyebrows. "OK?" she repeated.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah."

"What happened to not giving up?" she questioned skeptically.

"Well…" Sirius started with a shrug. "I figure if I can't change your mind –"

"You can't," Hailey interjected.

"Right," Sirius continued with a faint smile. "Since I can't change your mind, maybe I ought to aim for a different goal," he explained lightly.

"Such as?" she asked in the same tone, as if they were merely reviewing for a test and she was encouraging him to add more to his answer.

Sirius smirked, and turned to face her again. "Let's be friends," he suggested sincerely.

This time Hailey was the one to stop walking first. She was watching him with an incredulous, yet scrutinizing, look. Sirius just stood there calmly, waiting for her to say something.

"Friends?" Hailey finally repeated in amused disbelief.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, friends," he confirmed patiently.

Her mouth dropped open slightly, as though she still didn't believe him. "Are you even capable of _just_ being friends with a girl?" she asked, no teasing just honest curiosity in her tone and expression.

Sirius thought about this for a minute before giving a slight shrug. "I've never tried before," he admitted.

"So…what? I'm your guinea pig?" she retorted, not angrily or annoyed though.

He shook his head. "I _want_ to be your friend," he told her truthfully.

Hailey started to laugh quietly. "Yeah…Right," she muttered, shaking her head as she started to walk around him.

But Sirius grabbed her arm and looked her in the eye. "I'm serious," he stated firmly. "No pun intended," he added quickly when she started to raise an eyebrow.

Hailey stared at him for a minute, looking into his grey eyes. Then finally she took a deep breath and quietly said, "OK."

"OK?" Sirius repeated hopefully, slightly raising his eyebrows in surprise.

She rolled her eyes, but nodded. "_For now_," she clarified, looking slightly amused by his brightening features after she said 'OK'. "We'll _try_ this whole being friends thing," she agreed, an air of mock defeat in her tone. But she couldn't help the small smile that started to spread across her face as Sirius grinned brightly at her.

– X –

"You're going to the Quidditch game tomorrow, yeah?" Sirius asked Hailey in Potions. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first match of the season, it should be a good one," he added cheerfully.

Hailey chuckled as she added the next ingredient. "Yes, I'm going," she answered, casting a quick glance over at Lily, which Sirius noticed. "I haven't missed a game yet," she shrugged, turning her attention back to the potion.

Sirius smirked, watching James and Lily work for a minute before turning back to his and Hailey's potion. "So…" he started in a slightly sing-song voice. "I take it Evans is going too?"

She was still looking at the instructions in her book, but Sirius saw a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. "Yes, she is," Hailey answered conversationally.

"So, I suppose she'll be rooting for Gryffindor as well?" Sirius questioned curiously, though he already knew the answer.

"Of course," Hailey replied matter-of-factly, only a little sarcasm in her tone, as she stirred the potion. Sirius grinned as he chopped up the roots they were getting ready to add. Hailey sighed. "Just ask already," she instructed, her impatience somewhat noticeable.

Sirius smiled innocently. "Ask what?"

Hailey rolled her eyes discretely, the only reason Sirius noticed was because she put her hair into a ponytail for this class. "Whatever it is you're wanting to ask," she retorted.

"OK, fair enough," he agreed with a smirk, tossing in the roots. "I've noticed that Evans doesn't seem to hate James as much lately," he started nonchalantly.

Hailey sighed. "And?" she questioned warily.

Sirius smirked. "Well, I just figured since you're her roommate and friend, that –"

"That I might know if she's interested in Potter?" Hailey finished lightly.

He nodded, smiling. "Exactly." He noticed a small smile start to spread across her face, but she still didn't look up from the potion. When Hailey still didn't said anything, Sirius, furrowing his eyebrows a little, finally asked slowly, "So…Is she?"

Hailey smirked as she looked up at him. "I'll never tell," she stated teasingly.

Sirius started to pout, only causing Hailey to laugh. "You're mean," he told her playfully. But Hailey's smirk only got wider.

"And what do we have here?" Slughorn asked merrily, coming over to their table. Both Sirius and Hailey tried to hide their smiles and act casual. "Marvelous job," he complimented as he saw their potion.

"Thanks Professor," Hailey replied.

Slughorn beamed at the pair and continued making rounds about the classroom.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I'll have the next one up tomorrow. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	4. Just Friends?

**A/N: Sorry, I meant to put this up earlier, but I got busy and this was the first time I was able to get on the internet. Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed! You guys rock. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 4 – Just Friends?

Gryffindor Tower was in a roar of excitement. The Gryffindor Team had beat Slytherin by almost two hundred points. The after-party was one of the biggest the Marauders had seen, and thrown, in their time at Hogwarts. The entire common room was buzzing with the delight of defeating their rivals.

Sirius and Remus, who had decided to set aside studying for one night and even aided the other Marauders in getting the party to this extreme, were watching James relish his moment in the spotlight as he and the other Quidditch players exaggeratedly retold the game play by play. Peter was lost in the crowd somewhere.

"He's going to be insufferable for the next few weeks, isn't he?" Remus commented, loud enough for Sirius to hear him over the music, nodding to James.

Sirius let out his bark-like laugh, but nodded humorously, "Yep." Remus rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Moony, enjoy the party," Sirius told him cheerfully, handing him a cup of the punch they had spiked with Firewhisky earlier. Remus took the punch, but continued to roll his eyes, though he was smiling, he too was happy Gryffindor had won. "Look, even Evans is letting her hair down."

Remus looked over to where Sirius was pointing, and indeed noticed the redhead Head Girl smiling and laughing with her friends. "Has Prongs noticed her yet?" he questioned apprehensively. Sirius laughed again, but shook his head, grinning brightly. Remus had to smile as well.

"Come on, let's go say hello," Sirius said. And he and Remus began making their way through the crowd over to the girls.

It took them a few minutes to get across the room, having to stop and talk to several people on their way. Finally, they made it over to where now only Lily and Hailey were standing.

Hailey was the first to notice them. "Hey guys," she greeted with a smile.

"Hey," they replied, returning the smile.

Lily turned to face them. "Nice party," she complimented, though Remus and Sirius glanced at each other, neither sure if she was being sarcastic or not, but pretty sure she was since she was gesturing to the crowd, half of which was already drunk.

"It's a celebration, Lily," Remus pointed out.

She sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, I know," she admitted.

"At least you seem to be enjoying yourself," Sirius stated brightly.

Hailey smirked, while Lily looked at him closely and countered, "Interesting punch."

Sirius's smile faltered for a moment, afraid she was getting ready to yell at him, but then he grinned wider. "You seem to like it," he commented, gesturing to their cups.

Lily flushed slightly, grinning sheepishly. Sirius and Remus shared a smirk. "I guess we all need to let loose every once in a while," she shrugged.

"To letting loose," Sirius toasted, raising his cup, grinning.

Remus, Lily, and Hailey all grinned too and raised their cups as well.

"Cheers!"

A little while later it was just Sirius and Hailey left. Remus had left to go search the crowd for Peter, and Lily had somehow ended up talking to James in a corner. Even though they had been getting along better lately, Sirius suspected the main reason Lily was in such a good mood, instead of telling James off for being drunk, was because she was slightly tipsy herself.

He noticed Hailey smirking at the pair too. "How long do you give it before they're a couple?" Sirius asked her lightly.

Hailey chuckled. Shrugging, she answered amusedly, "Two weeks."

Sirius shook his head playfully. "Nah, I say Evans holds out a little longer than that," he told her.

"Wanna bet?" Hailey suggested with a grin.

He looked at her and smirked. "You're on," he agreed. "I say it's three weeks before Evans gives in." Hailey rolled her eyes doubtfully. Sirius chuckled. "A Galleon?"

"Make it two," she countered, watching James and Lily laughing.

"Deal," Sirius agreed, and they shook on it.

"Looks like Remus found Peter," Hailey commented, nodding over to the staircases, where it looked like Remus was half-dragging a semi-conscious Peter up to the boys' dormitory.

Sirius shook his head amusedly, smirking. "Ah, Peter, Peter, Peter," he sighed. "Looks like he had a little too much of the punch," he noted. "We keep telling him to watch that," Sirius muttered, more to himself than Hailey.

Hailey laughed, shaking her head lightly.

"You wanna dance?" Sirius asked suddenly. Hailey looked over at him quickly, with a somewhat suspicious expression. "Just as friends," he assured her, reading her look.

"_Just_ as friends?" she repeated warily, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Sirius nodded. "Just as friends," he promised, holding up his hands in an innocent gesture.

Hailey took a deep breath, but nodded. "OK," she agreed. "But _just as friends_," she added firmly.

He nodded sincerely, and smiled, pulling her out to the middle of the common room, which was being used as a dance floor for the night.

– X –

"Where's Peter?" Sirius asked Remus suddenly, glancing up from his Charms essay to look around the common room. James was at Quidditch practice, and he was actually taking the time to work on homework with Remus, but he didn't know where Peter was.

Remus too looked up from his books and cast a quick glance around the Gryffindor common room. "Dunno," he shrugged, a thoughtful expression covering his features.

"He seems to be missing quite a bit lately," Sirius commented quietly, looking puzzled.

Remus noticed Sirius's look, but shook his head and said, "Maybe he's off with that Hufflepuff girl he met last year."

Sirius let out his bark-like laugh. "Yeah, maybe," he agreed, though Remus heard the doubtfulness in his friend's voice.

"So how are things going with Hailey?" Remus questioned pointedly, setting his quill down, knowing Sirius was no longer in a studying mood.

Sirius smirked playfully as he leaned back into the couch lazily. "Like you don't know," he retorted half-heartedly.

Remus chuckled. "I don't," he admitted. "You two seem to be hanging around each other more, but, from what I know about Hailey, she's not the type of person who gives in easily. She's more likely to get more stubborn about saying 'no' the more you ask her."

"I know," Sirius nodded. "Which is why I'm not asking," he stated.

Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're finally giving up?" he questioned in disbelief.

Sirius shook his head. "No. I'm just gonna try being her friend instead," he informed Remus, whose mouth dropped open a bit.

"What?" he replied faintly, dumbstruck.

"I'm trying to be her friend instead," Sirius repeated, with a small roll of his eyes.

"You're trying to be Hailey's friend?" Remus questioned incredulously.

"Yes," Sirius sighed. Then added, "Which is why I have a question for you." Remus gave him an apprehensively questioning look. Sirius leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees as he started, "You two are friends, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Remus nodded slowly, not sure where this was headed.

"How do you do it?" Sirius asked soberly.

Remus raised his eyebrows. "You're serious?" he questioned in disbelief.

"Of course I'm Sirius, who else would I be?" Sirius retorted with a straight face.

Remus rolled his eyes, knowing he had stepped right into that one, and Sirius smirked. "What I meant was…" Remus started, half-annoyed and half-scowling at his friend. "You're _really_ asking me how to be Hailey's friend?" he reiterated.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah," he answered truthfully. "I figure if I can't get her to go out with me, I might at least be able to be friends with her," he shrugged. Remus watched him closely, seemingly pondering something. "What?" Sirius questioned, noticing his friend's look.

"Is this just some ploy to get her to eventually go out with you?" Remus asked him seriously.

"No!" Sirius denied, looking affronted. Remus raised an eyebrow at him, and Sirius rolled his eyes and admitted, "OK, maybe a little." Remus sighed. "But that's not my main reason," Sirius added quickly.

Remus gave him a bewildered look. "Then what _is_ your main reason?" he asked.

Sirius glanced around and, noticing no one else was in the common room except for a small group of fifth years on the other side of the room, looked back at Remus and shrugged. "I dunno….I just want…to be around her. And if she won't go out with me, I might as well try being her friend," he answered slowly and quietly.

Remus watched him for a minute, and realized Sirius was actually being serious, and very un-Sirius-like. "You really like her, don't you?" he asked softly, though it was more of a statement.

Sirius looked up at him quickly. "I never said that," he contradicted forcefully.

Remus smiled, though not in a teasing way. "You _do_ like her," he stated. But before Sirius could retort, Remus started chuckling and muttered, "Sirius Black actually _likes_ a girl, and wants to be her friend." Sirius was scowling fiercely at his friend. Remus shook his head amusedly, and looked Sirius in the eye. "I think that's great," he assured him seriously.

Sirius's scowl dropped, but he was still frowning slightly. "I don't _like_ her like that," he muttered in disagreement. "I just think she's interesting, that's all. She's fun to be around." Remus smirked, and Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat. "Don't say anything," he pleaded with his friend.

Remus smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry Padfoot, your secret's safe."

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I should have the next one up tomorrow afternoon sometime. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	5. Too Close For Comfort

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry this took so long to put up. I intended to finish and upload it earlier, but I slept most of the day and then got busy with other stuff. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 5 – Too Close For Comfort

Remus and Hailey were in the common room finishing up their Ancient Runes homework when Sirius came in and rushed over.

"When was that potions essay due?" he asked anxiously, plopping down in the armchair next to the one Remus was sitting in.

Remus and Hailey smirked at each other before looking back at Sirius.

"Tomorrow," Remus answered calmly, keeping his amusement out of his voice, though he couldn't quite manage a straight face.

Sirius's eyes widened. "Oh bugger," he muttered.

"That's what you get for procrastinating," Hailey teased quietly.

Remus chuckled while Sirius rolled his eyes.

"We're partners," Sirius started hopefully, looking at Hailey with a puppy dog face. "Can you help me?" he pleaded.

Hailey sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Welcome to my world," Remus told her sardonically.

She gave him a sarcastic smile. "Fine," she sighed exasperatedly to Sirius, who grinned brightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he told her.

Hailey rolled her eyes again. "Let's just get to work," she instructed tiredly.

A few hours later Remus had retired up to the boys' dormitory, and Sirius and Hailey were the only ones left in the common room. While Sirius had been scribbling furiously trying to finish the essay, Hailey, who had finished her homework an hour ago, was laying on the couch reading one of her Muggle books, occasionally answering questions Sirius had about the essay.

"Finally! I thought I'd never get done," Sirius sighed dramatically, tossing his quill down excitedly.

But when Hailey didn't respond, Sirius looked up with a bewildered expression. He smirked when he noticed Hailey had fallen asleep, her book dropped beside her and a peaceful look on her face. Sirius chuckled quietly at the sight.

"Hey Anderson," he called, not too loud but not quiet either. Hailey, however, did not stir. He sighed and stood up, walking over to the couch. "Anderson," he said again when he stood over her. She still didn't wake up, but she did shift a little. Sirius smirked. He picked up her book and sat it on top of her bag. _This is probably a bad idea_, he thought as he scooted her legs over and sat down on the couch by her. "Hailey!" he said, a little louder this time.

Hailey's eyes shot open as she jerked awake, staring straight at Sirius.

"So that's what it takes to wake you up," he teased quietly as she became more alert.

She stared at him with an odd expression for a second. "You called me Hailey," she said softly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What?" he questioned, confused.

"You've never called me Hailey before," she explained.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You wouldn't wake up when I called you Anderson," he replied casually, though inwardly he had realized his mistake.

Hailey nodded slowly. "Uh-huh," she muttered, clearly unconvinced but willing to let it slide. "I take it you finally finished your essay?" she asked.

Sirius nodded. "Yep," he answered proudly. Hailey shook her head, grinning amusedly. "Thanks for helping me," he told her earnestly.

She gave him a small smile. "You're welcome," she replied simply.

Then Sirius grinned at her. "You're cute when you sleep," he commented truthfully. Hailey raised her eyebrows at him. "What?" he retorted defensively. "Can't you take a compliment, Anderson?" he teased.

Hailey scowled playfully at him. "Stop watching me sleep Black, it's creepy," she shot back.

Sirius chuckled. "Or what?" he retorted mischievously.

She smirked. In an instant, before Sirius realized what was going on, Hailey threw her legs around him and rolled them both off the couch and onto the floor.

They landed with a slight thud, and Sirius gazed up at Hailey, who was looking back down at him.

"If you wanted on top all you had to do was say so," he commented suggestively.

Hailey rolled her eyes in disgust. "Git," she stated, hitting him in the stomach.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, but couldn't stop himself from chuckling.

"Think that's funny, do you?" Hailey asked lightly.

Sirius, still laughing quietly, nodded. "Yeah, I do," he answered in the same manner.

"Oh yeah?" she asked again, raising her eyebrows. Sirius grinned as he continued nodding.

Smirking, Hailey started smacking him repeatedly.

"OK, OK!" he cried in surrender. She grinned, but stopped hitting him.

Suddenly, Sirius started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Hailey questioned slowly.

Sirius grinned. "I can't believe you fell for that," he chuckled.

Hailey's eyes widened in realization a mere split second before Sirius rolled them, so that now he was on top. She struggled for a moment, but Sirius pinned her wrists down beside her head and she finally stopped.

"Feel better now?" she asked airily.

He nodded happily, continuing to smirk brightly at her. However, before he could respond they heard a quick intake of breath and a nervous cough. They looked over and noticed James and Lily standing there looking pretty uncomfortable. Sirius and Hailey glanced at each other, then, realizing the position they were in and what that must look like, they both quickly sat up and scooted away from each other a little.

Sirius gave an uneasy cough then said as casually as possibly, "Hey guys, what's up? We didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously," James smirked. Lily rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder. "Ow!" he muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

"We just got back from rounds," Lily told them conversationally. "What are you guys up to?"

"I think that's –" James started, but quickly silenced at the glare Lily was sending him.

Sirius and Hailey glanced at each other awkwardly. "Just finishing up some homework," Hailey answered tentatively. James was trying to hide his grin, but Hailey ignored him and looked at Lily. "Something up?" she questioned, noticing the look on her friend's face.

"Uh…" Lily muttered, glancing at James unsurely. He smiled stupidly. She rolled her eyes, but took a calming breath and looked back at the two on the floor and slowly informed them, "James and I are kind of dating now."

Both Sirius and Hailey's eyebrows raised dramatically.

"That's great you guys," they congratulated.

James and Lily both smiled, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Thanks."

Hailey smirked at Sirius, who rolled his eyes but handed her her winnings. "Thank you," she mumbled happily.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled.

James and Lily glanced at each other curiously at their friends' exchange, but decided not to comment on it now.

"Well, it's getting late, we should get to bed," Lily said.

Hailey nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, standing up and grabbing her stuff.

"Goodnight Lily," James told her.

Lily smiled. "'Night James," she replied, giving him a light kiss, causing them both to grin.

After Lily and Hailey went up to the girls' dormitory, James walked over by Sirius, who was gathering up his things.

"So…" he started lightly. "What was going on between you and Hailey?"

Sirius shrugged. "Nothing," he answered. "We were just goofing around."

James raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Uh-huh."

– X –

The news of James and Lily finally getting together was the main topic among students for the next couple weeks. Though everyone knew they would eventually end up together, the fact that it had finally happened was huge.

Now that they were together, Lily had started spending more time around James, and the other Marauders by extent. And since Hailey was Lily's best friend, she too was hanging around the Marauders more.

Sirius was thoroughly enjoying this fact. Granted, he and Lily still had a few issues, mainly due to her disapproval of their rule-breaking, but they were learning to set aside their differences. But he was savoring the extra time he got to spend with Hailey. Though Remus was the only one who had so far picked up how much he was starting to like her, James was starting to get suspicious about the two after what he and Lily had walked in on.

Even though he knew Remus was right, that he did really like Hailey, Sirius still wasn't sure what that meant. He wasn't used to wanting to be around someone this much. He'd never met a girl like Hailey before, and she continued to surprise him. Every time Sirius caught himself considering asking another girl out since Hailey was still saying no, something she would do or say would grab his attention again and made him remember why he liked her, she was a constant mystery.

One night, after staying up to finish some homework they had put off till the last minute, James and Sirius had finally gone to bed. Remus and Peter, having retired early, were already fast asleep. Within minutes James was already snoring. But Sirius couldn't sleep.

He glanced around the dormitory, noting everyone else was asleep. His stomach gave a light growl, and Sirius decided to get a snack.

Rolling out of bed, he went over and search through his trunk, only to realize he'd eaten the last of his snacks a couple nights ago when they had stayed up planning how they were going to get together for the full moon over the holiday.

Sighing, Sirius pulled on a t-shirt, stuffed his wand in his pants' pocket, and grabbed the Marauders' Map.

As he was making his way through the common room, he noticed Hailey curled up in an armchair by the fire reading one of her Muggle books.

"Couldn't sleep?" he called quietly, walking over behind the couch.

She looked up quickly, then released a breath when she noticed who it was. Shaking her head slightly, she replied, "No, so I thought I'd read for a little bit. What about you?"

"Oh, I was just gonna head down to the kitchens for a snack," Sirius told her. Hailey nodded slowly. "Wanna come?" he offered.

Their walk through the corridors was a fairly silent one. Though they had been hanging out more recently, Potions was the only time Sirius and Hailey had been alone together since that night in the common room when James and Lily had walked in. It wasn't as if they were avoiding each other, but things just seemed slightly awkward between them.

"So, got any big plans for break?" Sirius asked, finally breaking the silence.

Hailey shrugged. "Just going home," she answered. "You?"

"Me and James are going to his house," he told her. Hailey nodded, she already knew that he lived with the Potters now.

Again they fell into silence. But right as Sirius was about to say something else they heard a noise. He glanced down at the Map, and saw that Filch was getting ready to head their way.

"In here," Sirius hissed, pulling Hailey into the nearest door.

They were silent and listened. Filch's unmistakable footsteps could be heard down the corridor. Sirius and Hailey both stayed quiet, even barely breathing, as they heard him pass the small broom closet they were hiding in.

When the sound of footsteps died away, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

But as their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Sirius and Hailey were all too aware of how close proximity they were in. Their faces mere inches apart, they seemed unable to tear their eyes away from each other. The only sound that could be heard was their shallow breathing.

As if some unseen force was holding them there, they stayed like that for what seemed, to them, like hours.

Eventually, Hailey swallowed, averting her eyes for a split second. "He's probably gone by now," she whispered, once again staring into his eyes.

And just like that, the moment was gone, the unknown power holding them there broken.

Sirius nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, probably," he agreed quietly.

Hailey opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again and turned away, exiting the broom closet.

Sirius closed his eyes and sighed before following.

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**A/N: I hope you liked that chapter! I'm going to try to have the next one up within a day or two, but with the holidays I might not have much time to work on it. I'll get it up as soon as I can though. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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